Post-Benghazi Defense Posture: Lives Now Get Same Protection Priority as Intelligence

WASHINGTON -- Defense officials say that improvements over the past year intended to prevent another Benghazi have included weekly threat-discussion chats and a decision to put the protection of human lives on the same level as the protection of intelligence at diplomatic facilities.

While the Hill was largely transfixed on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's latest examination of the Benghazi attack Thursday, an Armed Services Subcommittee hearing convened before a nearly empty gallery to hear about the Defense Department's posture a year after the Benghazi attack.

"We are taking prudent steps to reduce the vulnerability of people and facilities abroad while not turning our embassies into fortresses and degrading our diplomats' ability to do the critical work that benefits us all," Gary Reid, the principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low- Intensity Conflict, told the panel.

Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.), chairwoman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, noted at the open hearing that "in order to understand fully the Department of Defense's response, it has been necessary for the subcommittee's briefings to be held at top secret or higher level."

"Based upon the information we have collected to date, I don't believe that any amount of heroism during the attacks could overcome the tragic lack of preparedness leading up to it," Roby said.

"It does not appear that U.S. military forces units, aircrafts, drones or specific personnel that could have been readily been deployed in the course of the attack in Benghazi were unduly held back or told to stand down or refused permission to enter the fight. Rather, we were so badly postured, they could not have made a difference."

"Our colleagues in the intelligence community provide daily reporting of threat indicators and warnings, and our combatant commanders and chiefs of mission are in regular contact to assess threats and discuss contingency plans," he said.

Improvements over the past year include the addition of a deputy assistant secretary for security at high-threat posts at the DoD. Congress also approved the addition of up to 1,000 Marines into a diplomatic security detachment.

The Pentagon has raised the minimum size of existing Marine security guard detachments at high-threat, high-risk posts from seven to 13.

"These increases have already begun, and will be complete next month," Reid said. "We are fielding 35 new Marine security guard detachments to posts that do not currently have them. Three of those detachments have already deployed; seven more will be in the field by the end of this year. And we aim to have the remainder of them fielded by the end of 2014."

"At the request of the Department of State, Marines from these units were sent to eight posts in advance of the September 11 anniversary last week," he added.

Reid said the past year has seen a shift in strategy and prioritization.

"In July of this year, the Department of State and the U.S. Marine Corps amended the mission of the Marine security guards to elevate the protection of people and facilities to be a co-equal priority with the protection of classified information," the Defense official said.

"Just a few weeks ago, the Department of State also approved the use of additional crowd control weapons for Marine security guards. Both of these changes, when combined with the expansion of the program, reduce risk to our citizens and facilities where Marine security guards are deployed."

Maj. Gen. Darryl Roberson, the vice director for operations on the Joint Staff, said "force posture today is better suited to what we call the new normal."

"The cooperation and the progress with the State Department and the whole interagency has truly been significant over the past year. Weekly meetings and sometimes daily phone calls have allowed us to synchronize our efforts," Roberson added. "…We have shifted our focus from simply reacting to crises to proactively addressing potential crises."